‘Huge scope’ for closer ties with EU, Starmer suggests, but ‘no case’ for rejoining

28 May 2024, 18:11

By Kieran Kelly

@kellyjourno

There is ‘huge scope’ for the UK having a closer relationship with the European Union, Sir Keir Starmer has suggested.

But the Labour leader also said today that there is ‘no case’ for rejoining the EU, insisting he would respect the result of the 2016 referendum should he be elected as Prime Minister.

He also insisted that the UK would not readopt freedom of movement under a future Labour government.

Speaking at a Q&A in Stevenage, Sir Keir said he would like to see closer co-operation with the EU on issues such as trade, education and defence.

“There is no case for saying we’ll go back into the EU, we had that referendum back in 2016, we got an outcome for it,” Sir Keir said.

“We’ve got to take that on, a closer relationship I think not just in trade but also I think in defence, I think there’s huge scope for closer work on defence and security, and also education, by the way, I think we could do a lot closer work on” the Labour leader added.

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Sir Keir's comments come as little surprise as he has repeatedly insisted a future Labour government would not look to rejoin the EU.

That is despite him campaigning for a second referendum when he served as Shadow Brexit Secretary when Jeremy Corbyn was leader of the Labour Party.

None of the main parties have looked to make Brexit a central part of their campaigns so far.

This marks a stark contrast from the previous General Election in 2019, which Boris Johnson framed around 'getting Brexit done'.

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During his visit to Stevenage alongside the Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Sir Keir also stressed the importance of facilitating Britain's transition to using renewable energy.

“We have a duty in relation to net zero, but more importantly or equally importantly to that, renewables, whether that’s hydrogen, nuclear is part of our plan, whether it’s onshore or offshore wind, there’s incredible engineering that is taking place,” Sir Keir said.

“There is a race on in the world for the next generation of jobs in renewables and that race, European countries are out in that race, the US is out in that race and Rishi Sunak’s in the changing room.

“If you think about the next generation that come after you, it’s their jobs they’re talking about, the secure jobs of the future. I’m convinced we can do that here.”

“The grid is a big problem because it’s taking far too long. If you want to build a wind farm it takes you two years,” he continued.

“It’d take you 13 years under this government to get any power out of it... We’ve got to take the tough decisions to cut through that. Planning rules have to change, the grid has to change and at pace. But what we can’t do is simply push the date back.”